A new baseball program in Yorkton and Area will make sure kids and adults living with disabilities won鈥檛 be left out of the summer fun this year.
Challenger Baseball is starting next month. It鈥檚 a non-competitive baseball program where the scores aren鈥檛 tracked and participants are encouraged to simply enjoy the game.
The program is open to people living with physical or mental disabilities. Kids as young as five-years-old can participate.
John Emery is the coordinator of Challenger Baseball in Yorkton. He鈥檚 worked with kids with disabilities for years. He looked for athletic programs that catered to people with disadvantages, but he couldn鈥檛 find many in his area.
鈥淸There are] not a lot of programs here for youths and adults with special needs,鈥� he said.
Emery was inspired by the Toronto Blue Jays. Their Jays Care Foundation, which provides baseball programs for marginalized and disabled kids, gave Emery the idea to kickstart the Challenger Baseball program in Yorkton.
Yvette Renneverg, who will be a coach for the program, discussed Challenger Baseball with Emery.
鈥淚t jumped out at us,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an awesome fit,鈥� Emery said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be something new.鈥�
Emery said the main goal of the program is to create relationships for people with special needs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun, social thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a blast.鈥�
Emery is looking for volunteers to act as 鈥渂uddies鈥� for the program. They鈥檒l pair up with athletes, assisting them with hitting the ball, running bases, and other activities.
鈥淸We鈥檙e] still looking for as many buddies as we can get,鈥� he said.
Emery hopes to extend the program past the baseball season, keeping the team together for movie nights and other events all year long.
鈥淚f there鈥檚 interest to keep going, we鈥檒l keep going,鈥� he said.
It鈥檚 taken a lot of time and planning to bring this program to life, but Emery thinks the happiness it will bring to the athletes will be well worth the effort.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to see the happy faces,鈥� he said.
The first game of Challenger Baseball will be held Sunday, May 6 at Jaycee Beach at 2 p.m. Subsequent games will be held every Sunday at the same place and time for two months.
Anyone who wishes to join the program as an athlete or a volunteer can email [email protected]. Registration is free. The program is accepting applicants until May 6.
